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| Name | JAMES |
| First names | Ronald |
| Rank | Sgt |
| Service | RAF |
| Service number | 614587 |
| Crew position | Flight Engineer |
| Age | 23 |
| Date of death | 16/08/43 |
| Cemetery | Cheronvilliers Churchyard Eure France |
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| 15/16 August, 1943; MILAN:
A force of 199 Lancasters made a concentrated attack on a now exhausted Milan, but this time as the crews returned across France the German fighters were waiting. Seven Lancasters failed to return home. 49 Squadron had dispatched 8 aircraft of which one failed to return: It is believed that P/O Leslie Gospel and crew were hit by flak on their homeward leg. The Lancaster crashed near Rugles in France, at 02.45hrs. Two of the crew survived, and both managed to escape back to England. Tragically one of them, Sgt Philo, was later killed on ops (3-4-45). The remainder are buried at Cheronvilliers, France. Lancaster LM337 (EA-V) P/O L.W. Gospel Pilot (Killed) Sgt R. James F/E (Killed) Sgt C. Witheridge RCAF NAV (Evader) Sgt H. Hedge W/AG (Killed) F/S C.W. Taylor RAAF A/G (Killed) Sgt S.J. Philo B/A (Evader) Sgt A.E. Huntingford A/G (Killed) Crew on their 4th operation |
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